


You're a f**kin hurricane

by mesko



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Halsey - Freeform, Inspired by Music
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-09 20:19:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5553929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mesko/pseuds/mesko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey and Kylo Ren are college students and they happen to have similar music tastes. Fighting over the last CD of Halsey's Badlands</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The first time Rey hears New Americana something changes within her. They are lying on the floor of her college dorm room and it’s 3 am and she’s drinking cheap vodka with Poe and Finn, her two best friends. They are so damn happy to be back together after a summer spent apart. They are playing some Spotify playlist that Poe put on. They don’t really care about it, it’s just mild background noise until the song comes on. It catches Rey’s attention immediately. She sits up right away when the chorus hits and asks:

\- Who is this girl? – wide-eyed, astonished how much truth she finds in the lyrics. She feels as if her whole essence was captured in a single song. The voice is so melancholic yet powerful it sends shivers down her spine.

\- Ugh some weird chick… - Poe replies, not quite sure what Rey finds so fascinating about it – I think it’s Ashley something! She’s been all over the radio lately.

Rey doesn’t care that Finn is rolling his eyes too, she manages to stand up in the dark to make her way to the blue light that is her computer, but stumbles in Poe’s legs on her way and hits the floor. Her entire body aches and she’s sure she will be purple all over the next morning. She grabs her chair in order to straighten up and ignores the guys blaring laughter – they might have had too much liquor, she smiles. She sits down in front of the computer typing the lyrics in, googling the song. She doesn’t even notice when the guys leave she is so swallowed in Spotify listening to Badlands. The next morning she wakes up to the sound of Halsey (apparently, Poe didn’t quite remember the name, though her real name IS Ashley, Rey learns from the little bio on Spotify) and her face buried in the keyboard. Everything hurts and she’s got a very bad case of hangover. Still, she listens to the album on repeat for the day.

…

Kylo hears it the same night actually, despite his will. His room is right next to Rey’s and the walls are paper thin and he leaves his window open to cool the room down from the heat of the August day. He should be asleep but the music is so damn loud he just can’t sleep and he already smashed his precious Darth Vader collection in a tantrum. He ends up listening to Badlands as well thanks to Rey and he thinks this album might not be that bad, though he is thankful when she finally turns it off when she leaves her room around 10 am.

…

About a month later she’s shopping in Target when she sees the album. She has been listening to it on repeat and now it’s on sale so she quickly reaches out for it when it’s snatched right before her eyes. The little blueish CD is in firm hands, surprisingly large and when Rey looks up to see the face of the thief she gasps a little. It’s the weird emo boy from the room next door she sometimes sees in the hallway. He wears a smug look on his face.

\- Hey that’s mine! – Rey states firmly, trying to snatch the album from his hand, but he raises it so high it’s out of her reach.

\- No, I took it so it belongs to me now! – he says calmly, though there’s an edge of anger in his deep baritone.

\- Give it to mee! You can’t even name a single song from the album I bet ya! – her words fire quickly, she’s still struggling to get the CD. She’s trying to climb him but he’s too tall.

\- You don’t think I am a fan, do you? You made me listen to that album a thousand times! This is your making, take the consequences! – he raises his voice, though still not shouting. He tries to stay calm, considering people are looking at them already. She looks puzzled, so he continues – The night we got back to college you put the bloody album on repeat and didn’t turn it off till morning.

\- Oh god – she replies, surprised - I didn’t know it kept you up all night, sorry!

Her apology distracts him and now the album is in her hand. She gives him a triumphant smile but her victory isn’t long, he grabs her by the wrists and twists the CD out of her hand.

\- This – he waves the CD – is mine!

\- This doesn’t even fits into your image! What would your friends say? – she tries, already reaching for the tiny album in his hands. He just laughs and she stretches, standing on her toes as he leans back so that she can’t reach it.

\- Why should you care? – he shouts, he isn’t really angry, rather amused.

\- I don’t – she says – I just want the bloody album! I love Halsey’s music! I know all her lyrics by heart. – she leans in closer, her fingertips touching the CD, that’s when they fall. He feels her tiny body pressed up against his, and it is not entirely unpleasant. His head hurts as he hit the floor but he is still holding the CD.

\- S-Sorry! – she gets up quickly and Kylo thinks she is blushing.

\- You’re a fucking hurricane – he laughs, surprising himself just as much as Rey – But the album is mine – he gets up quickly and walks away outstandingly easily.

…

A few days later, when Rey is about to leave for class she opens the door of her room to find that very specific album in the hallway on her threshold with a note. She smiles to herself as she reads it and takes a mental note to get to know this boy better. _“ Hurricane really suites you. You should have it. – K”_


	2. Drowning my thoughts out with sounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a Halsey concert in town and Rey and Kylo both go, just not together.

The first time Rey hears about the concert she is in her room and the entire hallway echoes of her happy screams. She cannot believe her luck, it is Halsey’s first tour and she stops by her city. Of course she buys the early bird ticket and decides she’ll think about who to drag along later.

 

When Kylo notices the ad on Facebook he is slightly hesitant but purchases a ticket anyway. He still keeps it a secret that he likes this kind of music and not quite sure whether he’ll want to go there all alone. He thinks she might go, the girl next door whose name is still a mystery to him but rejects the idea of asking her. He feels the anger build in his abdomen, warm and tearing him apart so he slams the door on his way out of his room. _Why is it so hard to maintain an image he built so long ago?_

_…_

 

She sees him in the cafeteria, sitting with a very tall girl with short blonde locks and a ginger guy. They are talking and they seem very serious, huge books covering their table.

\- For the last f**kin time – Kylo swears – Marx's work is a very essential part of my thesis, stop shaming it!

Rey suddenly has this idea that she should go up to him and tell him about the concert. Maybe he wants to come. She slightly trembles on her way to their table but decides to go with the plan anyway.

\- Hey – she says softly, stopping next to him. Now she can see the book clearly. It’s a copy of Marx’s Capital. She wonders why he reads such outdated material. Kylo looks up at her, his eyes flashing with anger from the fight he is currently in and immediately soften as he notices her.

\- Come to thank me for the CD? – he smirks. He totally forgets his company for a minute until the tall girl asks:

\- Who is this Kylo?

His eyes harden and his voice turns ice cold as he speaks.

\- Some annoying girl whose room is next to mine. – he barks – What do you want, kid? No one told you not to bother the adults when they are working?

\- I just wanted to know whether you heard about the concert… - she is so startled she nearly whispers.

-  What are you talking about? Why should I care about some stupid concert that you’re interested in? Stop bothering me! We are not friends, we just live next door – he shouts angrily.

Rey bites her lips and doesn’t say a word. So this _is the real_ him. Keeping up the bad boy image. She mumbles a sorry and walks away to sit with her friends. Finn and Poe look really confused when she walks back to them, shoulders shrunk and slight anger on her face.

\- He’s a douchebag – she states firmly and eats away. They don’t ask, just change knowing looks.

 

…

 

The night of the concert comes faster than Rey had imagined and she still doesn’t have anyone to go with. Finn and Poe firmly deny the opportunity, claiming to have some other party to go to, though Rey knows it’s because they only listen to bubblegum pop and dislike Halsey. She doesn’t have many friends and dismisses the idea of asking Kylo (thanks to the girl she knows his name now and finds in very unusual) as the memory of the painful encounter is still a fresh wound. She decides to go anyway, trying to pull of the confident look in her tightest jeans.  

Kylo sits on his bed, listening to the muffled sounds of Rey getting ready for the concert and stares at his own ticket. He told his friends he’s busy tonight and he knows they go drinking to the Death Star, a pub on the other side of the city so he wouldn’t get caught, still, he is hesitant. Halsey has so much anger in her voice at times that he finds himself fantasizing about her in bed, but he is no teenage girl who screams and cries as their idol comes on stage, and tonight’s concert seems like one on those occasions where they would be the majority. When he finally hears the click of Rey’s door and her footsteps getting weaker as she departures he puts on a clean t-shirt (black, of course) and leaves, too.

…

Halsey is truly amazing live. Her voice sounds nearly vicious, filled with raw energy. The notes touch everyone’s soul in the audience, the songs filling the ears of both Kylo and Rey. Rey gets lost in the music, closing her eyes, raising her hands in the air, singing along with thousands of fans (indeed, mostly teenage girls) to the lyrics. Between two songs, she looks around searching for _him,_ though she doesn’t know why. There he is, near the edge of the room, standing stiffly in the crowd, though she notices him moving along to _Control_ which makes her wonder what kind of person he is. But then again, she also loves these songs, so deep down, they cannot be that different after all. He notices her and holds her gaze for a second. Rey takes it as an invite and makes her way to him slowly.

\- Hey! – it’s Kylo who initiates the conversation and it leaves Rey dumbfounded for a second.

\- Hey, stranger! – she replies finally – Come to the stupid concert, I see…

\- Yeah well, – he shrugs – just making sure it’s really as stupid as I thought… - Rey can see a tiny smile hiding in his eyes.

\- And what are your thoughts? – she demands. They have to shout now, thankfully, the song is Roman holiday now, which is Rey’s least favourite so she doesn’t mind turning her attention to him.

\- I think I might have misjudged it – he admits – but the audience seems just as horrible as I expected.

\- Oh really? – Rey challenges - Then you fit here, among the horrible people perfectly.

\- I might be willing to admit there are exceptions… - he swallows, like he is about to profess his love for Rey – Listen, about the other day… - he begins but Rey notices the first cords of _Is There Somewhere_ and screams how it’s one of her favourites and turns all her attention to the stage and Halsey.

…

They leave the venue after the concert together, eagerly discussing their favourite songs. They mostly agree, but God, Kylo has never met someone so stubborn when it comes to disagreement, her opinions are very firm and she isn’t willing to change it for anyone. He thinks about apologizing to her for his behavior but finds it hard to actually say the words. When they reach their dorm, he really wants to say something but begins stuttering.

\- Listen, I just wanted to say… that I… - it feels strange that he, always so confident doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t apologize for who he is, still, his moral compass keeps trying to make him say it.

\- It’s okay – Rey says with a light smile – Your secret is safe with me.

Kylo slips into his room quickly and feels the blood rushing into his cheeks. This girl seems to read him like an open book. He puts some music on (not Halsey, he had quite enough of that tonight) and stands in the shower, trying to _drown his thoughts with sounds._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I continued to play with the idea, I hope you enjoy. I fear Kylo is growing further from his original character but I'll try my best. Right now I'm thinking about one more chapter, but I'm in the middle of exam season so it might take a while.


	3. you're ripped at every edge but you're a masterpiece

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Kylo bond over tumblr and go to a signing together.

It is only fitting that they both have tumblr sites dedicated to Halsey’ music. Rey’s with a clean minimalist look with sharp and edgy edits of her favourite lyrics. Meanwhile Kylo’s one of those that basically reblog everything in connection with her, with occasional ramblings (and a very black theme on the side, of course). It’s actually a miracle that they follow each other, but Kylo finds Rey’s edits inspiring and Rey feels like some of Kylo’s ramblings speak to her soul. Sometimes they talk, too, not knowing that the other person is sitting just a room away from them, chatting away how much their friends don’t appreciate good music. Kylo tells Rey about music helping him when he’s fighting with his family and Rey tells him how much she wishes she had a family. First they don’t agree on the family business, Rey not understanding how can someone hate their family so much, but the way Kylo paints it makes her stop debating the topic. They also discuss their fake-persona. Both seem to have made the same mistake and now taking the consequences – every day is a play that starts with them putting their mask on to fit the character everyone believes they are. How can two people be so similar, yet complete opposite of each other?

 

…

 

Rey is truly happy these days. It’s not like she doesn’t have fun with Poe and Finn, but she feels like they just don’t get her. They don’t want a crybaby, they want the happy, cheerful, kickass Rey as their friend, but sometimes Rey really needs the downtime. She has darkness in her, often goes to bed that someone would be there by her side, stroking her hair, telling her that everything is going to be okay. When she is left alone with her thoughts, darkness creeps in from the corners of the room and not even the loud notes of Badlands on repeat can send them away. That is when she discovers _mthfckhalsey,_ a tumblr user who appears to like the same music as her and once she reads some of his personal posts she finds herself intrigued by him. They start talking and it’s perfect. They show their deepest feelings and find comfort in each other, though Rey realizes it might just be because a computer screen is separating them and they don’t have to face each other the next day. Still, her nights alone are better now.

 

Kylo feels strange. He doesn’t believe in soulmates but is inclined to, ever since starting the conversation with the mysterious tumblr blogger, _halseyincntrl._  He has been talking to this person for ages now (ok, it can’t have been more than a month, but that’s a lot, right?) and still can’t figure her out. It’s like he is talking to a faceless creature, who sees right into his soul and says things out loud that he can’t articulate himself. Yet this creature also requires his help, fighting with demons herself. It scares him how much he opened up to this person, constantly wondering whether it was the right decision. He feels vulnerable, yet at peace.

 

…

 

Halsey is doing a signing about a two-hour drive away from their town. Rey knows this, of course, but has no car and it’s a week night. She decides to make a post on tumblr, asking whether anyone is going to the signing from her area, hoping that one of her 2200+ followers might be from around here. To her surprise, Kylo messages her a few hours later, telling her that he was hesitant about going, but now he would absolutely love to go with her. He has a car, so it’s no problem. Rey lets out a series of happy squeaks replying with a joke about her hopes that he is not a serial killer.

Well I am sharpening my knife – Kylo replies but in the safe darkness of his room, he smiles. He is not usually one for going on road trips with complete strangers, but it’s been a while since he was able to talk to someone so honestly like her. He is sure that behind the blog is a girl, it is fairly obvious from her writing style, but has no idea who she is.  They discuss the details of their journey and decide on meeting in front of Rey’s favourite coffee shop.

 

…

 

Rey runs into Kylo in the cafeteria again, but having learned her lesson, she doesn’t ask him about the signing. She has company anyway, and feels like it would not be appropriate to drag along someone else. Kylo notices her too and wonders whether she’ll be there at the signing, but remembers how fierce she was about getting that last CD so he knows he’ll see her there. A smile is playing in his eyes, he is intrigued by _halseyincntrl_ and tries to imagine what kind of person she could be.

 

…

 

The night of the signing is here and Rey is nervous. She is not so sure about going with _mthfckhalsey,_ God knows what kind of person he is. They still don’t know each other’s name, just gender. She knows she can handle herself but that doesn’t stop her from playing out all the worst possible scenarios in her mind. Finally, she puts a little make up on, grabs her CD, the one that Kylo gave her – and that makes her wonder about him, how strange – puts pepper spray in her bag, just in case, and leaves the dorm.

 

Kylo left earlier of course. He didn’t want to be late, he believes in first impressions. He is so nervous he breaks his cup of coffee he orders. He screams at the poor waitress who is cleaning up his mess, pays her and leaves hoping that the fresh air will soothe his nerves. He is standing outside, leaning on his car, when Rey arrives. He looks at her and a thought crosses his mind. No, it can’t be.

 

Rey’s eyes are restless as she searches the parking lot. It is fairly empty, only a few cars are scattered all over the place, but there is only one person standing there, none else than Kylo Ren. Holding onto her purse closely, she walks up to him:

\- Hey, sorry to bother you. Have you seen anyone around here lately waiting for someone? – her voice is nothing like her usual confident self.

\- If you’re looking for your ride to the Halsey signing, I’m the one – he says, his voice cold as ice, it’s too obvious that he is trying to keep his cool.

\- Oh my god! – Rey screams – You can’t be…!

\- Well you better believe it or I have to go alone! – he hisses. He wasn’t expecting this either.

\- Oh there, it is the Kylo I know! – she mocks him.

\- Please, don’t act like you know me – he retorts.

\- Of course, I totally have no idea about your darkest secrets, _mthfckhalsey_ … - Rey laughs and it’s cold.

 

Saying the name out loud makes them realize that this person, standing across them is the same as the soulmate-like tumblr user they have been talking to. They just stand there for minutes, staring at each other in disbelief, letting it sink in. It seems surreal, that out of all 7 billion people in the world, these two managed to find each other and see the other in such a different light.

 

\- You still want to go or what? – Kylo asks finally.

\- Well yeah, okay… - Rey says hesitantly, and they hop into his car.

 

The ride seems endless. They are quiet, but Halsey is softly playing in the background. Rey stares out the window stoically, her mind racing with thoughts, trying to piece together how this awfully stuck-up, douchebag could be the somewhat unusual, but sensitive and understanding person she had been talking to.  Of course the memory of the concert and the CD shopping comes to her mind, but the events at the cafeteria are still fresh wound.

 

Kylo concentrates on the road, but his mind wanders. He had an eye out for this girl for a long time. Despise had been the primary emotion, but slowly he learned to see her strength. Their tumblr conversations spring to his mind and he can’t help but think how much he liked this person, but now that she is no imaginary creature it scares him. She is right there and very real, suddenly making him question everything.

 

…

 

\- How can you be the same person? – she finally breaks the silence.

\- I could ask you the same – he replies, his voice low.

\- But it’s not fair – Rey tries to reason – you didn’t know me outside tumblr at all, yet you judged my character.

\- I believe in first impressions – he says dryly – and it’s not like you didn’t do the same. You saw me and you deduced my character from it. You painted a picture in your head and now the information you know doesn’t fit in there. Simple as that!

 

Rey is taken aback by the wisdom of his words. He is full of surprises and she finds herself wanting to find out more. She wants to know what made this boy, _this man_ the person she thought he is.

 

\- Touché! – she admits – But you must have done the same. You didn’t seem like you wanted to get to know me, you made it quite clear that day in the cafeteria – she says with bitterness in her voice.

\- I might have made a mistake. You didn’t seem worth my attention at first, but I have been watching you, Rey. – it’s the first time he says her name out loud. Rey likes the sound it on his lips. – You have a lot more in you than you know.

 

She smiles because now she feels like she is with the person she got to know via tumblr. They are at ease and the words are flowing from their mouth. It is refreshing to have someone real this time beside them. They both know each other’s flaws and are very keen to point them out, yet the dynamic between them seems to have made it’s way from tumblr to real life.

 

…

 

When they arrive at the signing the queue is already huge. Halsey might have been around for less than a year but her fanbase seems to be growing by the minute. They don’t mind it though, queueing is much more fun if you have someone to talk to, and Rey and Kylo have a lot to talk about.

The night  is coming to an end when they reach the end of the line. Halsey signs the CDs for them and before they go Rey goes for a hug and tells her:

\- Thank you!

\- Yeah, thank you for getting us together – Kylo adds and finally kisses Rey. They still have a lot to work out, but the future looks bit brighter for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, exam season ended up being longer than expected and I wanted to give my full attention to this fic (and my exams as well). Thank you for joining me for this little ride and I really hope you like it! (the tumblr names are fictional)

**Author's Note:**

> So I had this idea in my head ever since seeing SW:The Force Awakens and now I put it into words. Sorry for all mistakes, English is my second language. If you want to draw this, please do, I really want to see it!


End file.
